Hey, so I'm going to ship my car from VA to CA... are there any tips you guys got? What are the standard procedures? There's a lot of insider information that may be withheld from me, e.g. the deposit issue (as in, if you put in your deposit, and the carrier can't ship your car, they'll still keep it). Another question is: is it normal for the carrier not to insure the car if there is damage done (in transit) that is not the fault of the shipper (ie someone throws something at the window, or something like that).

Also about the enclosed or open shipping.. what are the pros and cons?

The best quote i got was $950 from VA to CA. The company seems legit too, as they are registered with the BBB.

cost wise .... had mine shipped from TN to MN open truck cost back in 2002 was $850. CA to VA my guess cheapest will be $2000.00 plus or minus a few hundred.:wave:

I have shipped a few cars over the years and learned a few things.

My insurance agt said to take a pic of it either being loaded or on the rig.
Proof that you turned it over to them if it mysteriously disappears.

At delivery make sure YOU are the one signing for the condition of the vehicle. I had a car delivered to my place of work. They had the receptionist sign off on it. I was never even notified it had arrived until the receptionist said..."hey they dropped of your car." Needless to say there was damage. They tried to say that because SHE signed off it was authorized. I tried to call BS on them, and just wound up turning it in on my insurance. Figured a big ins co. would have better luck fighting with them. Don't think they ever recovered any $$.

Based on my experience I don't have a good feeling about shipping cars.
Dis-honest crooked bastards...
Best of luck.

Princess did it recently maybe you can get some first hand tips from her. I'm such a driving freak, it it costed $2000 to ship there I would drive there instead. 3k miles of highway. That would be fun.

cost wise .... had mine shipped from TN to MN open truck cost back in 2002 was $850. CA to VA my guess cheapest will be $2000.00 plus or minus a few hundred.:wave:

the quote is $950 from VA to CA. you might have overpaid, i know someone who shipped his mercedez from VA to CA and it cost him $800 (early 2007). also know someone who shipped her car from CA to VA, and it also cost her $800 (2005). i've had about 20 quotes sent to me via email, and none of them have been for more than 1,300. there's no way i'd ship the car back for $2,000... i'd rather drive the car back, i bet it would only be like $350 worth of gas.

hm, here's my math: if i travel 2,500 miles and get 30MPG that's 2,500/30 = 83.333 gallons of gas. 83.33 x 3.7 let's call it... that's only about $310. damn, that's cheap.

I have shipped a few cars over the years and learned a few things.

My insurance agt said to take a pic of it either being loaded or on the rig.
Proof that you turned it over to them if it mysteriously disappears.

At delivery make sure YOU are the one signing for the condition of the vehicle. I had a car delivered to my place of work. They had the receptionist sign off on it. I was never even notified it had arrived until the receptionist said..."hey they dropped of your car." Needless to say there was damage. They tried to say that because SHE signed off it was authorized. I tried to call BS on them, and just wound up turning it in on my insurance. Figured a big ins co. would have better luck fighting with them. Don't think they ever recovered any $$.

Based on my experience I don't have a good feeling about shipping cars.
Dis-honest crooked bastards...
Best of luck.

thanks for that tip.. i'll definitely snap a few pics. the broker i'm going with is registered with the BBB... they are on good status. though it doesn't ensure that the driver will be good, i think a good broker chooses good drivers. the only thing that concerns me is that they say they are only liable for damage caused by the driver. what if the driver does something to mess up my car but says "oh, that never happened"?

Another time I had this same poor vehicle shipped the price was pretty cheap, but I think the guy was a type of a broker. So my car made it to Missouri then sat there for several weeks until he could find it a "ride" the rest of the way. Think he tried to find half full car carriers and then piggy back it on. I don't know how you can get around that because I'm sure that happens in different degrees on most car shipments. Plus be ready when it shows up...it will be FILTHY. I had some oil etc. that dripped from the car on top. Also for what ever reason the window had been slightly rolled down. If you can find a good shipper you will have a better experience than I was able to have. Again it is kind of buyer beware IMHO.

Can mistabeo & others please post links/contacts for recommended shipping companies!

I may possibly need to ship a vehicle from NoVA to C. Texas this month. One-way flt' is ~$200, gas would be $250 (~1500 miles @ 25mpg = 60 gallons x $4.00 gallon), hotel: $50, food/misc': $50... $550+ & (2) whole days on the road. Shipping might be a better option, I'm thinking!

FWIW, I had an SUV shipped from C. Florida to C. Texas (~1200 miles) in '00 for ~$600'ish... :D

im shipping mine through the www.aacrossusa.com ... so maybe you can try that. they are registered with the BBB and offered me the 2nd lowest price ($950 from VA to CA).

or you can go to websites like these that give your information to multiple brokers so that they can compete with one another for your business... http://auto.movingaid.net/?camp=google&key=car%20transport

Thanks a bunch for the contact(s) & info'! Really appreciative... :cool: